


Lemonade

by AutomaticWastelandFox



Series: Have a Drink on Me [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloé Bourgeois Being Chloé Bourgeois, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Developing Friendships, Gen, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Lila Rossi Lies, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Mild Language, Minor Bustier Class Salt, Sad Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22774051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutomaticWastelandFox/pseuds/AutomaticWastelandFox
Summary: Lila really did it. Marinette is expelled and the entire class actually believes that she is a thief and a liar. Alone in her room afterwards our everyday Ladybug isn't sure what to do next. Good thing Chloe Bourgeois always knows exactly what to do.
Relationships: Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Have a Drink on Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676470
Comments: 48
Kudos: 952





	Lemonade

Marinette was splayed like a starfish across her bed watching the clouds drift lazily past her small skylight. Expelled. Not just expelled but akumatized. Expelled, akumatized, and abandoned by her friends. Some hero she was. She didn’t understand how her entire class, her friends for years, could have thought so poorly of her. Sure her crush on Adrien had made her do some silly things in the past. Sure she had palmed a few phones and maybe eavesdropped on some conversations, but she would never cheat or steal and she absolutely would not push someone down a flight of stairs! Only Adrien had tried to stand up for her in the locker room and that was probably only because he actually knew Lila was a liar. Alya was at least trying to help her prove her innocence, but even her literal bestie wasn’t taking her accusations against Lila seriously. Not that it really mattered. She already knew there wouldn’t be any evidence linking Lila to any of her crimes. She couldn’t believe it, but it looked like Lila really had taken everything from her. 

Marinette heaved a watery sigh as she brought her phone back above her face and continued to flip through the open tabs as she looked at potential schools. Tikki was snuggled in the crook of her neck petting her cheek in soothing circles while she optimistically pointed out some of the interesting programs the different lycees offered. Marinette hummed noncommittally in response. Her kwami was right of course, some of these schools offered amazing academic tracks and had wonderful arts programs. But she couldn’t help the niggling thought of how slim her chances of being accepted anywhere reputable would be with the expulsion forever tarnishing her previously spotless record. 

The sudden bang of her trap door bursting open startled her so badly she dropped her phone directly on her face. She gave a pained yelp and clutched at her nose as Tikki zipped under her pillow with a tiny gasp. 

“Dupain-Cheng! You will stop being so utterly ridiculous right this instant! I called your name three times just now. Did you suddenly develop tinnitus too?”

“Chloe?” Marinette mumbled in confusion as she sat straight up on her bed still rubbing at her bruising nose. It was a little hard to see through the tears that brimmed in her eyes, but it was most definitely the impeccably styled ponytail of one Chloe Bourgeois poking through the hatch in her floor. The mayor’s daughter was glancing about the room her face scrunched in distaste as she surveyed everything. 

“Well are you just going to sit there and keep being embarrassingly rude to your guest or are you going to invite me in?”

“Uh I…” Marinette scrambled to climb down from her loft only to wind up hopelessly tangled in the sheets and send herself into a swift plummet. She hit the floor hard with a pained ‘oof’. Though she could no longer see the blonde trespasser through her accidental cocoon she could very clearly envision the signature eye roll that she knew had accompanied the snort. 

“You are absolutely hopeless. I must be insane.” Before Marinette could respond to the insult she was stunned to find a second pair of hands helping to untangle her. “Ugh. What is this sheet made out of burlap? No wonder your skin is always so congested. We are going to order you silk immediately. It’s antibacterial or whatever so it will help.” 

Marinette finally managed to pop her head free from the tangled fabric to stare at Chloe in bewilderment. What in the name of kwami was going on? She opened her mouth to verbalize her confusion only to have her face snatched in a firm grip.

“Ew.” Chloe frowned as she turned Marinette’s face this way and that. “Also some eye cream for those eye bags. Do you even sleep? I swear those things are big enough to carry one of mother’s shopping sprees in. Hm, and it looks like one of your eyes might go black from that bump with the phone. Ugh, and you’re all red and splotchy from crying. Stop that this instant.”

At first Marinette could only stare in slack jawed silence. She finally managed to get her bearings and pull her face out of Chloe’s grasp as she set to work untangling her legs spluttering unintelligibly the whole time. “Chloe! What the hell are you talking about, and why are you in my room?!”

“Ugh don’t be stupid Dupain-Cheng. If you’re going to start being seen with me then you have to look at least somewhat presentable.”

“Seen with you?”

“Yes. Seen with me. Stop interrupting me or this is going to take forever and my time is not cheap. Now, mother is downstairs setting everything up with your parents-”

“YOUR MOTHER?!”

“What did I literally just say about interrupting? Yes, my mother. Audrey Bourgeois. Style Queen. Anyway, what happened today at that pathetic excuse for an institution of higher education was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. I refuse to attend anywhere that’s run by such incompetent morons. I absolutely insisted daddy pull me out immediately. Besides, the place is a breeding ground for filthy akuma anway.” As Chloe finished her tirade with a huff, Marinette had a fleeting thought to remind the girl that at least seventy percent of those akuma had been her fault but found herself far too entranced to actually form a coherent sentence. 

“Then I mentioned to mother how that liar got you expelled and oh she was livid.” Chloe grinned a bit as she sat back on the balls of her feet and pressed one palm to her chest dramatically. She cleared her throat before pitching her voice up an octave. “How utterly ridiculous! That girl is exceptional! How dare they besmirch the reputation of one of Audrey Bourgeois proteges? I’ll have them all fired!”

Chloe paused her reenactment to smirk smugly at Marinette obviously waiting for some kind of praise, but at seeing the other girl’s dumbfounded expression she just rolled her eyes dramatically and scoffed. She grumbled something about gratitude as she stood and began to wipe imaginary dust from the knees of her immaculate white capris. “You really are hopeless Dupain-Cheng.”

She cocked her head to the side and continued to examine Marinette’s prone form before clucking her tongue in distaste and strutting across the room to the nearby closet. She immediately dove in shoving racks this way and that as she tossed a few pieces onto the chaise lounge commenting as she went. “Ew. Cute neckline. Cheap fabric.”

Marinette blinked once, twice, three times before snapping her mouth shut with an audible click and cautiously approaching Chloe who glanced in her direction briefly before launching back into her speech. “Now, daddy has already cleared that false expulsion from your record and started an investigation into Damocles and Bustier. Hah! Just wait until they dig up how Lila has been playing those idiots. Tinnitus, a semester in Achu, pfft. No school in Paris will hire them when this investigation is over. He’s also already contacted the best tutors in Paris and we will be with them at the hotel Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Thursdays and Fridays we will be shadowing mother in her Paris office. She’s also already had the staff start setting up one of the hotel suites into a workspace for us and another smaller office at her building. You’re going to just die when you see the equipment in there...what in the world are you doing Dupain-Cheng?” 

As Chloe had continued to talk Marinette had firmly grasped her by the shoulders and spun her around. She scrutinized her face closely checking for any signs of illness as she pressed her hand to the blonde’s forehead. Nope, no fever. Chloe only huffed loudly before smacking the concerned hands away.

“Listen up Dup- ...Marinette, because I will only be saying this once and if anyone asks I will deny it until my last breath. I owe you for everything you did for me and my mother. My family is closer now than we’ve ever been before, and that’s all because you were willing to give up your dreams to help me out. I know we aren’t friends and that we don’t particularly… like each other. But I do… respect you. You are a disgustingly good person and I will not let scum like Rossi ruin you. I really am trying to do better… for Ladybug of course… and myself. And if anyone at that pathetic school would use their combined two brain cells and actually think for one moment, they might realize all that you’ve done for them and how insane it would be to even think you could do any of the things that lying little bitch accused you of. If anything, today should have shown you just how much they don’t deserve you. Or me for that matter, can you believe even Sabrina took Rossi’s side even after I selflessly protected her from that disgusting akuma today? Ridiculous. Regardless I refuse to let that be the end of Chloe Bourgeois and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. With your skills and my cutthroat business sense we are going to take the world by storm. Now wash your face and come speak with my mother quickly. The Style Queen does not like to be kept waiting.”

Chloe didn’t give her time to respond as she spun on her heel with a flourish and flick of her hair. The girl disappeared down the stairs giving the hatch a resounding slam. Marinette felt her body sinking down to the chaise where she sat amongst the piles of scattered fabrics. She could faintly hear the sound of Chloe’s heels clicking as she flounced down the stairs announcing loudly that Marinette would be down promptly as soon as she was ‘presentable.’ It wasn’t until another five minutes of absolute silence had passed that TIkki poked her head from her place among the pillows. The little sprite then flew to Marinette waving her paw in front of the girls stunned face. When she got no response she began to insistently tug on one of the girls inky pigtails.

“Marinette! You have to get dressed before Chloe comes back to check on you!” Marinette finally blinked as she reached out to gently snatch her kwami from the air holding her close to her face.

“TIkki… what the hell just happened?”

**Author's Note:**

> So not going to lie this was mostly inspired by my new need for Chloe to have the horse miraculous and be sassy with Kaalki all the time. This is just how I imagine that would come to be. By Chloe telling Marinette to get her shit together and the two of them going off the be fashion queens... and needing the horse to pop in and out. *shrug* Credit for story name will now go to the lovely Lexysama thank you for the suggestion!


End file.
